Game apparatus



e. H. BUGENHAGEN.

GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1920.

1,400,520, Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

19205 7? 6.1913296??? J 7 W W/$60.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

GEORGE HERMAN BUGENHAGEN, or MINOT, NORTH .nnxorn- GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed Ju1y 16,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. Boom- HAGEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Minot, in the county of \Vard and State of North Dakota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in game apparatus, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a game similar to checkers in which the continuity of moving successively from square to square is interrupted by the provision of a central passage zone in the form of a cross, whereby greater mental effort is required in the playing of the game and consequently more enjoyment is derived therefrom.

A further object of my invention is toprovide a device of the type described that can be manufactured cheaply and which is thoroughly practical commercially.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. forming part of this ap plication, in which- The figure is a plan view of the device.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a board or panel 1. which may be made of wood, paste-board, or ofany other suitable material. A rectangular field is outlined upon the surface of the board 1 by end marginal lines 2 and side marginal lines 3. The playing field is formed by providing lines 4; at spaced distances from the end marginal lines 2 and parallel therewith, the playing field constituting a square.

Storage spaces 5-5 are thus provided at each end of the field and the movable objects (not shown) used in playing the game in the manner which will be hereinafter set forth are placed in the spaces 5:) whenv retired from the game.

The playing field is made up of 72 squares arranged in parallel rows and disposed about a central cruciform passage 6 outlined in the drawing by the heavy line 7 as shown. The squares alternate in colors and in the drawing I have shown 36 black squares indicated at 8 and 36 white squares indicated at Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec 1920; Serial No. 396,677.

9. It is obvious that the squares may be marked in any other contrasting colors.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The game is played with ordinary checkers, or the like, which in the beginning are placed upon the black squares in. the first three rows from the end lines 4.- of the playing field. The checkers are moved as in the ordinary game of checkers, except at any time desired, any checker positioned on a square adjacent the cruciform passage 6 may be moved therethrough to any unoccupied square adjacent to the cruciform passage 6 located at the opposite side of the board. For example; in beginning a game in which two players participate, each party would have two checkers on squares adjacent to the cruciform passage 6. Either party, as a first move in the game, may place one of these checkers in any one of the four squares adjacent the cruciform passage 6, in the opposite side of the field. As the game progresses, more openings naturally occur'and when a checker becomes a king, the king can be moved in a single move to any one of the twelve black spaces adjacent the cruciform passage, provided all such black spaces are unoccupied.

It is to be understood that at no time shall pilaying units remain in the crucifrom passage 6, since the same is intended. as a passage way to a limited number of locations. Should a checker be moved into the cruciform passage in jumping an opponents checker, such a checker must be placed in a black square 8 adjacent to the cruciform passage and if by such movement, another checker of the opponent may be jumped, this is permissible. The four black squares 8 adjacent the center of the cruciform passage 6 cannot be jumped from one arm of the cruciform passage 6 to another arm of the same, but must he jumped in a diagonal direction from the center of the cross, as in the game of checkers. It is apparent that the game, played as described, will require closer attention and greater mental alertness than the ordinary game of checkers. Furthermore, four persons may play the game, since the playing field constitutes a perfect square, and the squares 8 and 9 comprising the playing field are arranged uniformly.

' dicular to eachother and intersecting at the approximate center of the playing field to provide a cruciform passage centered in the playing field and With a plurality of squares arranged about the Ways and extending to the marginal lines of the playing field, said squares being arranged in rows extending at right angles to the direction of the playing field and alternate squares in the rows being identically colored to provide Ways extending diagonallyto the direction of the play- 7 ing field, certain of said last named Ways being continuous and the remainder thereof being interrupted by said first named Ways, said cruciform passage being colored to correspond With the squares contiguous to the extremities thereof.

GEORGE HERMAN BUGENHAGEN. 

